Butterfly Fly Away
by PickleSyrup
Summary: In which Austin is a freelancing teenager who meets a girl that captures him in all the sense of the word. (or) Slightly angsty Austin who starts turning fluffy after meeting Ally. Multi-chap fic.
1. A Barista, Really?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are simply a reimagining/fantasy of mine in the form of this story.**

 _The beautiful breeze blowing, smell of the wet earth coupled with the fragrance of blossoms….and two people wrapped wholly into each other, lying in the grass._

Austin stared at the radiant brunette lying beside him with a look of tenderness in his normally cold and rigid eyes. The only time the humane side of him came out, was when she was around. He traced the crinkles under her eyes with his own, and the dimples on her cheeks as she laughed, carefree, at something he'd said. He couldn't for the life of him remember what it was. All that mattered to him now was this moment, this vision.

A smug, bitter boy from the wrong side of the tracks, Austin didn't have what one would call a steady past. He'd been sent to endless foster homes after Child Services had extracted him from the home of his alcoholic, unemployed father. His mother had escaped long before, leaving him to fend for himself as a little boy. He'd been bullied at school by all those who were in the same condition as he was, yet they put up a front and acted like they were all that. He'd had no courage or desire to fight back.

Eventually, he ran away from the home of a family that had taken him, tired of being subjected to mockery and false pretense. Frankly, he didn't even remember the family. It had been a downward journey since then. Austin Moon had turned into a drug-dealing, alcoholic teenager who picked fights with people regardless of whether they were bothering him or not. It helped to distract himself from all the pain and suffering. However, whatever else Austin was, he was no thief. No matter what he did with his money-buy booze, drugs and prostitutes- it was his hard-earned money. That was one thing his beloved Papa had taught him while he was alive.

Which is exactly how he had managed to score this, and other such blessed moments in his life because of one person that had managed to become his axis, his compass in life. Granted, Austin wasn't 'employee of the month' material, and had more often than not disrespected the clients and customers, and even gotten physical with several. But hey, he was honest in his dealings. So what might the outcome be when a particularly nasty customer of a man once went on to pick at Austin's sore spot in his life- his childhood.

His eyes flashed red. Sliding the goods of the counter, Austin leaped over it and pushed the man, hard.

"So what the fuck is _your problem_ going on to talk about shit that isn't any of your _godddamned business?!",_ screamed Austin.

At that point of time a circle of people had amassed around the arguing pair.

"You're a bastard and need to show me some fucking respect", shot the man back forcefully.

"Respect, _my ass…_ the only thing you're going to get from me is-"

"What's going on here?", a small but strong voice chimed in from the crowd.

People started murmuring and cleared the way for a beautiful, petite woman, whose features were marred by a small frown and lines between her eyes.

"Stay back, sweetheart. This young man here is bent on giving daddy a hard time", scowled the man.

Austin didn't budge from the ugly stare he was shooting at the man.

"Why don't you and your slut of a daughter get the _fuck out of my-"_

"Well, excuse you…. _Austin Moon_ ", she addressed him sneeringly with a slight crinkle in her face as she squinted to read his crookedly pinned nametag, "but you have absolutely no bloody right to call me that foul name without having the slightest idea of who, or what the hell I am." For reasons Austin could not comprehend, his anger cooled down almost shockingly fast the moment he got a look at the girl. She was short and curvy, with long chestnut hair that fell to her ribs, and large doe eyes, the colour of chocolate and honey. Normally he wouldn't so much as give a second glance to girls, no matter how makeup caked or skimpily clad they were. But this one, dressed in a simple pair of white jeans and off shoulder denim top, perfectly modest, appealed to his senses like nothing else. _Was she yelling at me? Oh, damn that crinkle is CUTE._

A shove from his left side caused him to break out of his delirious musings.

"…and shut your damn mouth next time", he heard the voice of his employer. _Wait, I didn't get fired? "_ And leave your nametag and employee t-shirt in the back and get out!" _Spoke too soon._ He looked around, but by then the girl and her father had left.

All the way back to his friend Dez's trailer, Austin could not get his reaction out of his head. _What in the world is wrong with me. She's just another bitch in the crowd of bitches._ He immediately felt guilty for thinking that. But…why?

 _Great, now I'll have to look for another fucking job. Damn this moral character of mine,_ he rolled his eyes. Just then Dez walked into the trailer with a girl attached to his hip.

"Austin, my man. Meet my new flavour of the wee-I mean, my _girlfriend_ , Trish."

The girl was a chubby Latina with wild hair, who looked unimpressedly at Austin and continued popping her gum.

After an awkward beat of silence, Dez cooed at the girl, "Sweetheart, why don't you go have a seat…make yourself at home", while simultaneously kicking a box of pizza under the sofa and throwing clothes off its back. The girl, Trish, looked disgustedly around the trailer and sat down daintily. She threw Dez an ugly look. "Call me that again, carrot top, and I'll make sure that there won't _be a top."_

Dez swallowed and stumbled over a few words, practically running to Austin. "Man she is _scary."_

"Why are you putting up with her? Women ain't worth it if they're gonna make you pay", replied Austin, looking around cautiously to see if the Latina had heard.

Dez gave a sheepish look and said, "Well…her fire fuels...um… _other_ fires, and besides," he continued hurriedly, "I kinda like her."

Austin looked exasperatedly at his friend. Dez was the closest thing he'd ever had to a best friend, almost a brother, but he'd never admit that to himself. He liked to think that he was independent and didn't need anybody. Except for pleasurable needs. And _that_ department needed no help at all, owing to his Adonis-type looks and built. _At least my bastard father had something to give me_. Austin believed in a use-and-throw mentality, never sticking to one. He was cruel and unforgiving in his words, and extremely rough in bed. Girls went wild over him, but he never spared a second thought. They would leave his abode whimpering and crying, while he threw their clothes out behind them. He knew from experience that relationships meant heartbreak, and nothing good came from _that._

Austin merely gave an exasperated sigh and went off to his room, if one could even call it that, but he was grateful for the space anyway. He plopped down onto the thin mattress and let his eyes drift shut. Uninhibited, the image of the girl with the asshole father popped into his head. _Jesus Christ, I do not need this right now._ He felt a sudden softness in his heart, an urge to know more about this girl. It was something completely foreign to him and he couldn't stand the feeling, knowing he had to do something to stop it from bothering him. _I'm just going to sleep off this shitty day._

The next morning, as Austin roamed the streets of Miami, he came across the sign for a coffee shop that was hiring. _Might as well get this over with. At least I don't have to whip up Starbucks shit._ After a wait of half an hour, which was surprisingly a lot for the job of a barista, Austin was losing his patience and was about to let it all go to hell when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

He got up wearily, and unconsciously brushed off his pants and jacket, and dragged his feet over to the cramped office at the back of the shop.

" _Austin Moon._ Please sit down", said his in-charge. He was still looking down at his shoes when he'd entered and took a seat before he finally looked up. It was the face that had been haunting him with its…its _goodness_ all day and all night. However, he amusedly noticed that she had a certain look of distaste on her face as she looked him up and down.

After a minute of silence, Austin got up and said, "Look, I can make decent coffee, but if you don't want to hire me after that shit with your dad the other day, just tell me so that we can both move on with our lives."

The girl gave him a surprised look before schooling her features into a professional expression. "Believe it or not, Mr. Moon, I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. I'd like to give you that chance, because you wouldn't be here if you didn't show even the slightest interest in earning your money honestly and this is probably going to be the worst decision I have ever made but god help me, I feel like I need to help _you_ ", she wheezed out in one breath.

"Um", Austin stuttered. He couldn't believe that he was going to get hired even after the stunt he'd pulled in the grocery store. The girl looked at him coldly. "I am going to be personally supervising your work, that is to say, you will be working under _me_ , and I warn you now, none of your smart mouth crap is going to work on me because you can get packing if that happens."

Austin was tempted to give this beautiful girl one hell of a piece of his mind, but the words died on his lips. He was not only getting a job, but was getting an opportunity to deal with his emotional dilemma regarding this female. He wouldn't back down _that_ easily, of course. Except, he'd put on a good boy front for a while before the colours truly came out.

"Deal?"

A beat. A smirk. " _Deal."_

"I'm Ally Dawson."

"Moon. Austin Moon, he replied cheekily. _This is so not me. Since when am I cheeky?! I am tha m-fuckin bawse._

The girl- _Ally Dawson_ -looked at him with distaste but he smugly detected the hint of a smile in her eyes.

"Yes, I believe we've had the greatest of first meetings, honey. You start tomorrow. Get a damn haircut and be here by 9. _A.M,_ not _P.M._ Now get out."

He gave a tiny salute and walked out the front door, for the first time in his life turning to give a girl a glance. _Ally Dawson. I like that._

 **AN: So that's that! I have written after** _ **ages**_ **and it feels so good to be back! However, I'm a little rusty after a year of not writing anything, so please, bear with me. Please write nice lil' things in the reviews (even if it's true or not** **) to make my author-tummy happy**

 **Plus, this is a multi-chapter fic so I think about 2 or three more chapters to it. Yeah. That's bouhh it**

 ************************ I LOVE RIVERDALE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO************************


	2. It's Just Coffee!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally, and this plot is simply a reimagining of the characters.**

 _What the hell is that sound?_ Austin was still lying on his flat mattress. For someone who could tolerate Dez's snorings, this blaring noise really, and truly woke him up from his dreamless slumber. That's right, he wasn't plagued by visions of brown hair and chocolate eyes, and none of the other horrendous things he had seen in his short-lived life, and daresay, was almost…. _peaceful._ _I did not do anything to deserve being fucked by life like this. I just need some damn SLEEP. God, if that's the Hot Cheetos-meets-tiny girl's phone I will-OH SHIT IT'S MY FIRST DAY ON THE JOB WHY AM I LIKE THIS FFFFF_

Austin scampered out of his sheets, only to be hit in the nose with a disgusting stench. "Oh _hell no_ , DEZ! GET YOUR FUCKING FOOT ON THE BED WHERE IT BELONGS!", he yelped.

"Wuzzat-mhm-yeah-that's where the peanut butter goes-"

Austin looked to the heavens for some inspiration, not that he believed there was one. Everything and everywhere was hell for him. Figuratively, he did so anyway.

"I don't get paid enough to deal with this bullshit", he murmured.

"And you won't either, blondie if you don't get your ass outta here in _ten minutes._ "

He turned to Trish, unimpressed. Over the span of a few days that he had seen Trish grill Dez, he had a certain respect for her, for being able to stick to her plan for something, and having the deviousness to manipulate anyone to get her work done for her. He appreciated the art of manipulation. _That's the only way people are going to do shit for you._

"I don't need you to be my babysitter, alright? Now go get back in Dez's scrawny arms where you belong. Say, what the hell are you doing up anyway?", he shot.

"Couldn't sleep. Cherry Tree kept elbowing me in _all the right places_ and he's _way too loud_. I swear, I never hear this kinda sound coming out from him when we're fucking, ya know, and I gotta say, I'm offended."

Austin gave her a smirk and speed-walked to the bathroom to get ready. "Why do you even put up with this shit here?", he said, as he jerked his head at the snoring red-head.

"God help me, I don't even know why, but I actually like the boy", Trish said, sounding a bit repulsed but fond at the same time.

Austin closed the door behind him. "Funny, he said the same thing about you."

A pause. "DEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZ WAKE THE FUCK UP", he heard a screech.

* * *

Austin was miraculously done just five minutes later, and put the final finishing touches to his hair. Him, being the narcissist that he was, winked at himself in the mirror and kissed both his biceps.

"You both have served me well." He turned to his right bicep, "Thanks for being my right hand man", he said, cracking up at his own joke. He heard tutting from one corner of the box-sized room.

"Jesus Christ, you're losing it in there," he saw Dez looking at him sympathetically whilst tapping his forehead with a finger.

But Austin was a little chipper that morning, so he let it slide. Grabbing a pancake from the stack on the table, he stuffed it wholly into his mouth and saluted his goodbye.

Since the coffee shop was just ten minutes away on foot, he walked at a faster pace than normal to make it there on time. He didn't want to make a late entry on his first day. And ooh, _Ally Dawson looks fine in that little skirt._

He walked nonchalantly to the counter posing as a customer, and said, "Hi, I'd like to order, or rather, _request_ , for a small, smart-mouthed woman to teach me how to make coffee that I'd very much like to drink."

He watched amusedly as the smile on her face was wiped out the minute she heard his voice. She gave him an ugly look and snapped her fingers. "You're…two minutes and five seconds late, but I'm going to call it three minutes late because of that bullshit line you just tried to pull," she said, glancing at her watch to time his delay. "Behind the counter, _now."_

Austin swaggered over to the back, keeping his eyes on Ally. _She really is something._ Without sparing him a glance, she continued, "Now, I expect you to pay complete attention to whatever I'm saying here. I'll start with the basics. DO you know how to brew coffee?"

He nodded slightly, looking her in the face.

"Right, so basic frappe. You put some ice, the coffee, the milk and sugar into this blender over here, and give it a good swing, and then just pour it out and top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Got it?", she looked at him earnestly. Austin had been paying attention, to the surprise of the both of them, but quickly grabbed the can of whipped cream, spraying a mountain of it in his open mouth.

" _Austin! You can't just waltz in here and do whatever you want with the-"_ , Austin cut her off with a large spray of cream into her mouth, which was mid-scream. She coughed and wheezed as the cream that didn't fit into her mouth flew as specks into her hair and nose. Seeing her like that, frazzled, and red-faced, all he could do was laugh. He had never had the urge to laugh like that, at something so simple and silly. He would be the one usually scoffing and sneering at idiotic fools who messed around with food. This realization dawned on him pretty quickly, and his laugh died away into a serious expression. Despite himself, he couldn't help the small smirk that crawled its way onto his face as he swiped his thumb across hers to get out the white foam. This action made her even more angry, but the moment he licked his thumb, her face flushed crimson, not only with anger, but with embarrassment and shock.

"That was pretty sweet, huh. Hey, Ally, you've got some white stuff all over you. _What have you been doing?"_ he waggled his eyebrows. He had no idea where this playful nature of his was coming from, but it seemed like it only lasted when he was interacting with the girl in front of him.

She stuttered and narrowed her eyes at him. "Do anything like that _ever again, and I will throw you out with my own hands._ "Austin rolled his eyes good naturedly and patted her on the head. "Sure. Now get back to work. Geez, live a little."

Ally fumbled exasperatedly over this boy's quick transition in topics. "Next, we will pretend that the last few minutes did _not_ happen, and you did not make me regret hiring you. So, now for a latte. You just get some espresso going on and pour it in a mug, then add in the milk, remember, _no foam_ , and _then_ top it up with foam."

Austin looked at the machine, and then at her with a disgusted expression. "Why can't I just add the damn foam when I'm pouring it in the mug?! It's just bloody coffee!"

"Because that's what you have to do if you want to work here and get a decent pay," she deadpanned. "Lord knows why I have such a good heart to deal with you."

"Well, he didn't just bless you with a good heart," he winked mischievously. He watched as Ally turned beet red, and whacked him on his arm. "How about you do the work you were _actually_ hired for," she glared. "I'm not dealing with you anymore today."

Austin looked at the fuming brunette and decided to cease his teasings. It wouldn't do him any good to piss her off royally on the first day itself. He'd like to keep at least one steady job. "Alright, I'm sorry, I'll not bother you anymore. Help me out?"

Ally still looked pissed off by the time he'd done apologising but silently lead him to the cash counter. "You'll be manning the cash today. I better not see you slipping any of it in your own stash. Remember, no matter how much a customer pisses you off, you shut the hell up and swallow your pride."

Austin shot a look of slight distaste towards the line of customers. "I'll try. But I'm not making any promises. Patience is not hardwired in my mentality," he said, walking towards the counter.

Ally looked at him, and then away. She gently placed her hand on the shoulder of the man at the counter. "Elliot, let Austin take it from here," she said, giving a small smile to the cashier as he turned to face her. The man-Elliot-beamed at her and gave a small kiss on the top of her head. "God, you're so short," he chuckled. Ally rolled her eyes good-naturedly and slapped his bicep. "Good to know, Leo"

Austin felt a prick in his chest looking at the display of affection. _The fuck?_ He looked down at his chest incredulously. He heard a little snort from his right. Ally was looking at him amusedly. "Admiring the boobs, are we?"

"No, but I think your boyfriend was admiring yours," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. Ally looked at him, and then at Elliot, and then burst out laughing.

"Austin, he'd have better of a chance looking at your body than mine. Elliot here, is gay," she wheezed out between words. For the first time in his life, Austin went completely red, embarrassed. Now that he paid attention to his surroundings, he saw Elliot not-so-discreetly placing his palm on the bum of another co-worker ass they flirted back and forth. Austin swallowed, and without saying a word, turned to the cash register.

* * *

As they closed up shop for the day, Austin reflected on the past few hours. He had managed to keep his cool for most of the time, except for when one particularly annoying kid insisted on asking for sprinkles on his sandwich. The kid would not budge from his atrocious request, and Austin just about almost smacked him before Ally came and glared at him, taking matters into her own hands. He watched as she made small talk with the kid before convincing him to drop the matter by distracting him with wonderful facts about the benefits of eating normal food without sprinkles.

"You did good today. Thanks for maintaining some calm with that kid, though. I gotta say, as much as I love them, they can be _really_ annoying at times," Ally looked at him.

"It's good that you came on time to save my job though. I almost whacked that little bitch."

Ally chuckled slightly. "Bye Austin. Make sure you're on time tomorrow. And bring a less shittier attitude to work, will you?", she called over her shoulder as she walked out, the bell overhead ringing. Unconsciously, Austin continued staring at her till she disappeared around the corner. He heard the clearing of a throat beside him, and jerked out of his musings.

Elliot was looking at him with a knowing smile mixed with something else, as he looked Austin up and down. "What a shame," he tutted. Austin unfortunately understood the double meaning, and sped out of the shop.

 _I actually like this job. Who woulda thought?_

 **AN: So that's chapter 2! Should I continue? I haven't really gotten much of a response to this story so I'm thinking about just abandoning it…idk.**

 **If you think I should continue, please R &R!**

 **Update: Something kinda messed up the posting, so guys, bear with me please! *hides face in shame***


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